Now in its 33^rd year, the Kingfisher County Eighth Grade Health Conference has a history of introducing middle school students to frank discussions of diffi cult topics brought by dynamic speakers.

But perhaps none more powerful than the story of University of Oklahoma linebacker Austin Box, brought the past four years by his mother, Gail Box.

An Enid High School standout in three sports before he was recruited by OU, Box died of an opiate drug overdose before the start of his promising senior season.

His parents, Craig Box, an Enid attorney, and Gail, a school counselor, started a foundation in their son’s memory to bring awareness to the problem of opiate addiction and the importance of students supporting and encouraging each other.

Cox said the foundation’s motto, “Sharpen Each Other,” was based on a wristband her son wore at the time of his death with the biblical reference, Proverbs 27:17.

Distraught at her son’s bedside, Cox asked a chaplain sitting with the family what the verse was.

The answer: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

“Turns out, it was the motto of the OU linebackers to remind them that they couldn’t win unless they all supported each other,” she said.

Box said her son suffered serious injuries throughout his high school and college sports careers, but focused on rehabbing in a healthy way, through physical therapy and exercise to build up protective muscle strength.

But a back injury his last season of play was followed by a treatment of opioid painkillers.

“Opioids affect different people in different ways,” Box said. “For some of you, they might make you sick and you’d never want to take them again, for others, you might take them until the pain is gone and then never again if you don’t need them.

“But for some people, and I believe Austin was one of them, it’s like fl ipping a switch in your brain – a feeling of euphoria you never experienced before and you have to keep taking them.

“And the scary thing is, you don’t know which one of those groups you are in until you take that first pill,” she said. “That’s why you should never take any medicine that is not prescribed for you.”

Box’s story seemed to resonate with the 243 county eighth graders in the audience, who sat quietly through the presentation but then raced each other to raise their hands when she asked for their suggestions as to how they each might “sharpen each other.”

“Be kind.”

“Be supportive.”

“Be respectful.”

“Encourage someone who is going through a bad time.”

Those where among the suggestions offered by the students.

Each student in the audience received a wrist band from the Austin Box Foundation with the admonition to “Sharpen Each Other.”

Students who participated in the discussion also received T-shirts when the program was over.

Box was the first of two keynote speakers who addressed the entire group of students from Dover, Hennessey, Kingfi sher, Lomega and Okarche.

The second was Capt. Adam Flowers of the Canadian County Sheriff’s Offi ce, who discussed Internet safety and the importance of censoring how much personal information is shared online and with whom.

Flowers, an active investigator in the state-federal Internet Crimes Against Children task force, said 90% of the abduction and sexual assault cases he investigates originate with an internet contact.

The rest of the day involved smaller group breakout sessions, including:

•Get Moving, presented by Seasha Schroeder, Tracie Verkler and Blair Coughlan of the Kingfisher County Health Department.

•Portion Distortion, by Lindy Hoel, Kingfi sher County OSU Extension educator.

•Vaping Risks, by Erik Smoot of the Alcohol Beverage Laws Enforcement commission.

•Yoga, by Laine Martin, county OSU Extension educator.

•It’s OK to Be You, by Emily Neuenschwander, Okarche school student.

The day concluded with a discussion of adolescent health by Nurse Practitioner Rachel Cameron and Aaron Gillette, physician assistant.

Coordinated by the Kingfisher County Community Collaborative, the annual conference also is sponsored by the county health department, OSU Extension Offi ce, Mercy Hospital Kingfi sher and Cimarron Electric Cooperative.

Special assistance is provided by the Mercy Hospital Student Careers Council.